KAILUA-KONA — Floating through space and coasting among dinosaurs aren’t things someone can do just every day in Kona. But a new attraction at the Kona Inn Shopping Village is making that a reality, or at least, a virtual reality.
KAILUA-KONA — Floating through space and coasting among dinosaurs aren’t things someone can do just every day in Kona. But a new attraction at the Kona Inn Shopping Village is making that a reality, or at least, a virtual reality.
Oleksandr Zhydkov, owner of Ocean Virtual Reality, opened his 9D Cinema on Oct. 22.
“You are inside these movies,’” he said. “It’s very realistic.”
Ocean Virtual Reality offers guests an opportunity to climb inside one of more than 100 movies featuring 3D visuals, surround sound, motion and special effects to bring guests into the films’ virtual worlds.
The films run anywhere from 3-10 minutes, and guests select their choice from a touch panel offering a description of the movies available.
Two months ago, Zhydkov said, he was in his home country of Ukraine, where 9D cinemas are a popular technology.
“I liked this idea,” he said. “And that’s why I ordered this platform, this cinema, and opened and moved it to Kona.”
Up to two people can watch a given movie at a time. Ticket prices are $8 for “5D” films and $10 for the full virtual reality experience, which lets guests get a fully immersive look around the virtual world of the film.
Zhydkov’s favorite film, he said, is “Dread Eye,” a horror film featuring monsters and other terrors.
Roller coaster films, which he said make up a large portion of the films, offer a different kind of thrill.
All of the movies, he said, have their appeal for guests.
“It’s very realistic,” he said. “Everybody who watches these movies, they thought that it’s very realistic.”
One film puts guests — once they strap on their goggles — on a ride that coasts through a prehistoric world, putting them face to face with dinosaurs who roar at them in surround sound. Another film puts riders onto a theme park roller coaster, rocking passengers back-and-forth and side-to-side as they twist, turn and even go upside down — or at least it sure feels like it.
Ocean Virtual Reality also offers cartoons and other films set in space or underwater. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day at Suite 172 of the Kona Inn Shopping Village.
